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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28845795">Drift Compatible</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlemissoyashirou/pseuds/littlemissoyashirou'>littlemissoyashirou</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Pacific Rim (Movies), 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aldera Middle School Is A Toxic Place, Alternate Universe - Pacific Rim Fusion, Bakugou Katsuki Faces Consequences, Canon Divergence - Pacific Rim, Gen, Near Death Experiences, near apocalyptic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 03:47:28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,137</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28845795</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlemissoyashirou/pseuds/littlemissoyashirou</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In modern day Japan, a new Kaiju cult is rising. The kaiju issue is starting to escalate, with experts following the Gottlieb Scale of attack rising. There's just not enough Jaegers Pilots in operation to keep up, so now the program is opening up to high school student trainees to start going out in the field.</p><p>Bakugou and Midoriya have been accepted in the UA Jaeger program, to begin training and getting ready to deal with the Kaiju threat, as they and their class become one of the few things standing in the way of a long-overdue apocalypse and humanity.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Drift Compatible</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Before I was born, before even my mother and father were alive, we have known there was alien life out there. <br/>
<br/>
</em>
  <em>It didn’t come from the stars, not like in the old movies and books from the 20th century. Instead, it came from the sea, a tectonic fissure opening a portal still known as The Breech. <br/>
<br/>
</em>
  <em>The first Kaiju made landfall in the US, in what used to be San Francisco. Even with the power of their army, it took six days to bring it down, but not before the destruction of three cities and 35 miles of land with every person, building and machine it could grasp with it. Tens of thousands of lives lost, just in that single first attack. <br/>
<br/>
</em>
  <em>For six months, it looked like a bizarre instance. Just a horrific random event, a reminder we were not alone in the universe and never were, just to exist in museums and news reels for the future. <br/>
<br/>
</em>
  <em>Then Manila was struck, and within months so was Cabo Saint Lucia, and within months more, so was Sonsonate, Ho Chi Min City, Kobe, thousands dead and thousands more sickened by the Kaiju Blue that stained the waters.<br/>
<br/>
</em>
  <em>It drew humanity closer, at its most dire moments. For the sake of the greater good, nations worked together, ignoring old wounds and wars to save each other. We could not stand against monsters with only nuclear arms and the weaponry of the old times. </em>
</p><p>
  <em><br/>
In these times, to fight monsters, we had to become monsters. <br/>
<br/>
</em>
</p><p>***</p><p><br/>
The cameraman tried to pan across the burning horizon. <br/>
<br/>
On the screen was smoke, as the blood and slime of the Kaiju ‘Primordial’ ignited much of the terrain in the area. Even now though, the shimmer of a massive, sludge-like appendage rising from the smoke, wildly flailing for buildings in its reach. The ghastly gurgle cut through the speakers, even with the volume low it was enough to pierce eardrums. How loud could it be in the flesh, especially in the frame of a Jaeger? <br/>
<br/>
A bright blue metallic hand cut through the smoke, grasping the foul slimy appendage in one deft maneuver. As the Kaiju attempted to wriggle free, it was shoved back further, the mass of slime coming into clear view of the shot. But Primordial, a shimmering mass of purple and blue, was not what drew Izuku’s eye. Instead, it was the shine of gold, red and blue in the day’s sun, a beacon of hope against this monster. The Jaeger pulled back it’s second arm, the cannons in the back revving up. </p><p>He knew this move by heart, he knew all of the Jaeger’s moves by heart. The forward momentum, accelerated by the power of the Jaeger and inherent quirk of the user, it culminated in a bone-shattering blow. Straight through, beyond the skull of the Kaiju and blasting the thick slime from it’s form safely away from the city. </p><p>That was the power of All Might’s Texas Smash, with both the force of wind generated from the strike and the power behind the strike itself!</p><p>“The Symbol of Peace has eliminated Primordial in one hit! Both a new record of a Kaiju take-down, and one of the quickest saves we have record!” </p><p>The news anchor exalted onwards, but Izuku could barely hear the words. Instead, he was focused on the careful motions of All Might. He drew his hand from the now-dead Kaiju, the wound cauterizing behind his fist as his wrist-mounted heat propulsions were meant to do. But there was still danger from the smoke and slime remaining in Osaka. Izuku knew it, and he was sure that the pilots knew it too. </p><p>With a careful placement of his hands, All Might held his fists low to the ground in a cross-like pattern. Ah, an alteration of an old move. Not the Carolina Smash as originally intended, that was to the center, but down leading up… Perhaps a South Carolina Smash, if it was named? </p><p>All Might pulled the smoke upwards, violently gushing the air in an upwards slant. Immediately, the smoke dissipated- not just the smoke brought in from Ichor, but the smoke of the building fires quelled from the sheer force of the suction. </p><p>The camera crew were pulled, the news anchor bracing herself on a nearby wall at the instantaneous change in air pressure. For a second, they braced, before they could hold themselves again. The smoke was gone, the fires had ceased, and Primordial’s dangerous attack failed. </p><p>“It looks like he’s pulled the poison from the area… We need further testing, but the air looks clear and the fires are going out.”</p><p>Of course. Izuku smiled, looking back down to his enhanced notes including his notes from last week’s news report on JaeTube. Not only did he bring the monster down, he kept the destruction down. Most importantly of all, the Symbol of Peace kept people safe from anything the Kaiju could bring down on them. </p><p>There was nothing to fear, because All Might was here. </p><p>A knock from the door drew Izuku back to reality. He shut his Jaegar Book as he got to his feet, “Oh, hey mom!”</p><p>“It’s almost time for dinner, dear,” Inko said, a gentle smile on her face as she glanced in. She could see what was on his desk, and the end of the newscast fading, settling on a still image of the Jaeger All Might still on the screen. It was nice about how enthusiastic he was about the Jaegers. </p><p>Why she could still remember when they would play City Defense together, her hiding behind a pile of blocks while controlling an old toy Godzilla figure and him in his All Might jammies declaring “There’s no need to fear!”</p><p>He caught her glance, breaking her out of that happy little memory, “Oh! I was just taking notes.” He said awkwardly, holding up the notebook. </p><p>“I know dear.”</p><p>“I mean… I don’t want to see people get hurt- And it was a stunning case this time! No massive life lost, casualties lower than ever before with no civilian casualties, and limited amount of remaining toxic smoke or Kaiju Blue remaining in the Port of Osaka-”</p><p>“Izuku, it’s really okay.” It wasn’t that at all. Izuku had a good heart, she knew that, and it wasn’t just for bloodsport that he loved seeing Jaegars in action. Especially All Might. And it wasn’t uncommon for kids to be Jaeger fanboys, and at least he wasn’t rooting for the Kaiju. She had seen enough of Slattern and Moonfish in her lifetime, without them sketched onto her son’s body. “I assume All Might displayed a new move?” </p><p>Izuku nodded, even if there was an anxious look in his eyes. “Well, sort of? Yagi-san hasn’t listed the name on his blog yet- He’s having fans take their best guesses, and there’s a poll based on what states haven’t been called up yet- B-but it’s just guesses, not like people are trying to force a specific name despite what he’d like-” He caught his breath, forcing himself to stop his own mumble, “It’s similar to Carolina Smash.” </p><p>“Well, you can tell me more over dinner. No one like to eat hotpot when it’s gone cold, you know?” She gave a little grin at her own joke, as she moved so Izuku could walk through. </p><p>As he stepped past her, he stopped, “I… Know you don’t like me watching so many Jaeger videos, but I just want to be prepared for when I have a chance.” </p><p>Inko took in a breath. This discussion again. She didn’t turn to Izuku, but she responded. </p><p>“It’s not that, dear, I understand where you’re coming from. It’s just… You know your father worries, and we just,” She held her tongue. “We’re just scared. For you especially.” </p><p>‘Need to be realistic’ wasn’t the right wording, although it was how Hisashi phrased it last time they talked. And he wasn’t wrong to want to get them as far from the Breech as far as possible. But it was also at the expense of Izuku’s dream. There were still Jaeger programs in Europe, especially the Institut de Chevalier in Bordeaux. </p><p>But they would be so much less likely to accept a quirkless student as part of their Jaeger program. Japan was in dire straits, but that also gave him a slim opportunity. What kind of mother would take her child’s dream from them?</p><p>What kind of mother would let her child risk death for the sake of a dream?</p><p>“Listen,” She said, pulling Izuku into a small hug, “Let’s just table this conversation until your entrance exams. There’s a lot of good schools there as well as UA, and when we see how you do and where you go, we can talk more about this.”</p><p>“… Alright,” Izuku said. He could see between the lines, and she wasn’t wrong. There were a lot of good schools with fantastic Jaeger-based programs and education, including scientists and engineers involved with field work. And he had the grades and knowledge to have his pick of the entire field, when it came to understanding how quirks effected a Jaeger and the engineering know-how to get the best outcomes and best effects on the field. </p><p>But only UA Ranger Training Academy hadn’t banned quirkless students from it’s Pilot program.</p><p><br/>
***</p><p>
  <em>First, we built monsters. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Running on nuclear cores, we designed massive beasts of wars: the Jaegers. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>The strain of the machinery was so great, they could not be handled by a single pilot, bringing on hemorrhages and other dangerous effects. Instead, we implemented a two-pilot system. Left hemisphere, right hemisphere, both under the control of a separate pilot. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Imagine, the bond between two people so great, they could be one and fight against the end of the world. Being so close to someone, sharing your hearts and mind, all so that you’re able to save the world. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>At first, we started winning. We were able to push back, with the Jaeger pilots being the first Heroes we know today. For a time, it looked like doomsday was being pushed back, that we might not be at the end of these monsters, but we would be able to slow them down and kill them before they could even reach landfall. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>We became indulgent. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Danger reports were propaganda. Kaiju and Jaegars were toys, commodities we could buy at any local department store. And people weren’t scared anymore. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Why would we be scared though? We were safe. And more importantly, we were <strong>winning</strong>. Kaiju carcasses lined cities as decorations, as pilots made the rounds on late night talk shows well into 2 AM, before going out at 6 AM to crush another monster. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>But then, everything changed. </em>
</p><p>***</p><p>The practice Conn-Pod hummed, the outer glowing with golden-red rays of light. It was a long-decommissioned shell, once the Conn-Pod of the Jaeger Water Horse, now acted as a trainee pod. Reassembled and remade to fit in the gymnasium of Aldera Middle School, the skull-like form held the various accoutrement needed to run a truncated version of a drift. </p><p>It wasn’t meant to take off in a true battle. Rather, it was designed to run two students through a mock battle run off of a computer system, as well as allow other trainees to observe how pilots handle the drift, monitor for anyone chasing the RABIT, and monitor the computerized battle with offering advice or warnings of the battle screen. </p><p>The gym breathed with the thrum of the class, a dozen students pooled around the monitor computers in observation of the digital battle while others receiving guidance from retired techs and teachers. Another set sat in wait for the current test to end. Hinokuchi and Ishizue were completing their round of training- maintaining a proper Drift together, keeping a solid protective stance against the computerized version of Takodana, even combining Hinokuchi’s Flame-Hand and Ishizue’s Clobbering Hands to make a magma shield against a false Kaiju- and soon it would be time for the next set of students. </p><p>Nobuzou-Sensei looked over the roster of remaining students, giving a disgusted sigh to himself. It always came down to this. No matter how many times he tried to discourage him and tell him to stop wasting his time and everyone else’s, Midoriya’s name was still on the roster. Only six students in his class wanted to go for the Pilot’s Rudimentary Objectives and Heroics course meant for Jaeger Pilots. At one point, there was a seventh, but he proved to not have the mettle for it, just when Nobuzou thought he could passively shunt Midoriya out of the course. </p><p>Still, there was no need to punish one of his proper students by forcing them to sit out when there was at least a warm body to maintain a safe drift with. If nothing else, Midoriya was an agreeable boy and mentally pliant, which almost made up for his deficiencies with his nature. </p><p>“Pilots,” Nobuzou-Sensei said, as he came into the waiting zone. Each of the students were already suited up, a group of three to one corner while Midoriya sat off on his own. “Gear up for the next test. On our list, we have Bakugou up next.”</p><p>It got Midoriya looking up from his corner quietly, but he held his tongue. Instead, Bakugou snorted as he spoke, “Well? You got someone who’s not worthless for me this time?”</p><p>“… Wakehara. You’ve been having issues with your Extension quirk in combat,” Nobuzou-Sensei looked straight at one of the students sitting by Bakugou, a hard-to-read boy with a massive wooden appliance for a face. His face was turned to Nobuzou-Sensei, plain and straight-faced. “Perhaps swapping partners would be-”</p><p>“I need to stay with Chika.” Not even a pause, as Wakehara’s head pointed to the lone girl in the group, Akikaze Chika, “She’s… She’s good for me, I’m good.”</p><p>“So I’m not good enough for Rocking Horse-Face here?” Bakugou snapped, “You don’t think I remember the last time we Drifted? You can’t help but chase your goddamn Dad off in the fog and made my work twice as hard-”</p><p>“Don’t you bring up his dad, You know it’s messed up bringing up people’s memories outside the drift!” Akikaze snapped, coming up to her feet. Immediately, she winced back at the sparking from Bakugou’s fingers, a whimper cutting through her mouth before she could stop it. </p><p>“And what are you gonna say about it, Fart Cloud? You want your hair to catch on fire again?” Bakugou shouted, “You’re barely a step above Deku, and you know it! Maybe if you could build up a breeze strong enough to put out a candle, you’d have an actual chance at being a half-decent pilot!” Wakehara rose to his feet, placing himself Akikaze and Bakugou and trying to block Bakugou from her with his massive protruding head. Still, the sound of whimpering could be heard from behind Wakehara. “Oh my god, are you really crying? You can’t even harden up to take some shouting, how the hell are you gonna handle an actual Kaiju-”</p><p>A hand clasped on Bakugou’s shoulder. He tensed up instinctively, sparks flaring up in his hands for a second, before he turned back to see Nobuzuo-sensei staring him down. </p><p>“That’ll be enough, you’ve made your point.” Poor Bakugou wasn’t wrong. Wakehara had the… Minor issue of a lot of students in the school, of an absentee father. And Akikaze’s fear would be an issue in combat, especially working with a quirk specialized in sparks and explosives. “I’m quite sorry. We still have no suitable partners for you at this time. You’ll have to continue making due for now.” </p><p>Even from behind him, he could tell Midoriya had adjusted. He could hear the sound of his idea book being put aside and the boy sitting up. Only quirkless student in his class, only quirkless student to make the full three years of Aldera, and he’s still insistent on being a load on the Pilot segment. If it wasn’t dire, he’d be much more disgusted by the issue. “Suit up,” Nobuzuo-Sensei said, directed more to Bakugou than to the boy behind him, “Your practice run will be ready in 10 minutes. Wakehara, make sure Akikaze is in proper order by the time it’s your turn.”</p><p>***</p><p>
  <em>Knifehead was the first. The Anchorage attack was the first major loss for a Jaeger recorded at that time. Not due to the loss of the city- Anchorage survived, as did the Saltchuck, a civilian fishing vessel that came in the line of action. No, it was the first effective attack on a Jaeger itself, taking down the Gipsy Danger for the first time as well as Pilot Yancy Becket. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>More followed the attack. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Five years. That was the amount of time it took for the governments to give up the first time around and build the first of the Anti-Kaiju walls. While the Jaegers and pilots were dying, trying to stop these more vicious and vindictive Kaiju, the walls were put up. Even with the failure to stop Mutavore and Charles “Chuck” Hansen railing against it publicly, even with the anti-wall riots and public outcry for the Jaegers, the world governments kept on with the project. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>It would not be what saved us. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>What saved us was the Pan-Pacific Defense Corps and the last Shatterdome of Hong Kong. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>And Gipsy Danger, the name most remembered in history books, one of the first names that still comes to anyone’s tongues when they think of a Jaeger. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>They were all beautiful. Crimson Typhoon, the first three-man functioning unit, powered by the Wei Tang brothers. Cherno Alpha, one of the first functional Jaeger, powered by a nuclear core and piloted by the Kaidonovskies. Striker Eureka, first of the Mark-5 Units and the defender of Sydney when the Anti-Kaiju Wall failed, helmed by father-son team Herc and Chuck Hansen. And Gipsy Danger, the name most remembered in history books, one of the first names that still comes to anyone’s tongues when they think of a Jaeger. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Even after her first death, she came back when the world needed her.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Raleigh “Superman” Becket, still grieving his brother’s death, came back from wall construction to make one more attempt to pilot. Mako “Sailor Moon” Mori, survivor of the Onibaba attack and one of the faces of the Pan-Pacific Defense Corps from childhood to her entire adult life. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>They were the pilots of the Gipsy Danger. They broke the gate, and slowed the Kaiju to a crawl. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>They were the first to display Quirks. </em>
</p><p>***</p><p>End of the day on a training day was the worst part. </p><p>Izuku could at least run on adrenaline and anticipation for the early part of the day, the thrum of excitement deafening in his skull as he struggled to focus on his classwork and his current quirk-and-Jaeger-theory book. </p><p>But for that hour of the day, it actually was worth it. He could deal with whatever was shoveled his way, every little dig and snap in Bakugou’s voice and mind as long as it meant being a step closer to becoming a pilot. It wasn’t hell at the moment, not after three years of it. </p><p>He’d never had the chance to partner with anyone else in the Aldera trainee program. 30 Students, scattered amongst the three hundred students, and only one person he ever worked with. Despite what Bakugou would think though, he wasn’t an idiot (or worthless. Or a burden, on Bakugou or the school or his mother, the only thing about Izuku that Bakugou could deign to respect. Or, as generated today, someone who ‘should just save everyone the trouble and take a swan dive off the roof already’). </p><p>Bakugou needed him, and so did the teachers in charge of the program. That is, if they wanted Bakugou to keep going forward. </p><p>So he pushed through, and put up with it. And he could at least keep up in the drift, and fight onwards. And when he punched and when he threw a digital Kaiju and when he blocked a blast of acidic spittle or flame from hitting a residential apartment complex, Bakugou got the praise (on top of Bakugou’s own work. Izuku wouldn’t deny it, Bakugou was smart and powerful and fought like a caged tiger against any Kaiju they went against, he was just maybe kind of a terrible person, hopefully he could forget that thought before next week.) But it was fine, because he was getting practice and he was still there. </p><p>But the end of day always reminded him of the truth of his situation. </p><p>“What are we having?” Ishizue shouted, propping his step-sister and partner Hinokuchi up on his shoulders as they marched home. Despite their work today, you couldn’t even tell they had the exhaustion of the Drift or training or quirk usage pressing on their minds. </p><p>“Nikuman!” Hinokuchi shouted back, arms extended, with small hints of smoke eking from her hands. </p><p>“Whose nikuman?” </p><p>“Mom’s nikuman!”</p><p>“That’s right! And why are we having step-mom’s nikuman?”</p><p>“Because! We! Had! No! Casualties!” The cheer came from both of them, as well as peels of laughter. Their cheers of joy carried through the entranceway, covering up nearly all of the noise around them. </p><p>To his left, Izuku could also see Akikaze and Wakehara, Wakehara’s scarf wrapped around Akikaze’s neck as the two walked hand-in-hand. </p><p>“You don’t need to worry so much, I’m really doing better…” Akikaze said, although she made no effort to give the scarf back. </p><p>“Nah, it’s fine. You lent me your umbrella the other day, and it’s too small for my face anyway.” Wakehara said, tilting his head downwards almost demurely. “Besides, you’ve been having a chill recently.”</p><p>“Ugh- No reading my mind in driiift, rude!” It was a much lighter response than the words belied, with her giving him a soft smack on the back much to his amusement. </p><p>Izuku shouldn’t be eavesdropping, as he looked deeper in his idea-book. They could have been friends, they were once before. Even if he knew the reason, he could never wrap his head around it, and it just added to his exhaustion. </p><p>Why did trying to help Kacchan up make him <strong>hate</strong> Izuku so much? </p><p>He shuddered inwardly. No use in crying… No, it was a good day, his books hadn’t been tossed in a pond, Bakugou’s ‘friends’ hadn’t left garbage in his shoe-locker again, and he was still got to be in the program, and he was still doing well in his classes and tests, and tonight mom was going to make katsudon. And maybe dad would be calling, and he could find out how the Atlantic side of the world was doing, and maybe he’d be sending a package from Bordeaux so he and mom would get to have those nice chocolates again (and a nice bottle of wine for mom, he was still only 15 after all, no drinking yet). </p><p>And Bakugou had already stomped off with his crew a half-hour ago. Izuku had made sure to wait it out before he started leaving school, so he’d be safe and burn-free for the rest of the day. </p><p>But right now, he just felt bone-tired. </p><p>***</p><p>
  <em>It was the Kaiju Blue in the water, you know. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>That’s the leading theory on the Quirk Explosion. Kaiju Blue, poisoning the water and the air for years. It’s why Jaeger pilots, survivors of Kaiju attacks, and Kaiju salvagers started showing Quirks before the general population, and why the expansion could be measured from the center of the Pacific sea onward. Worldwide, 80% of the planet has some level of quirks, with the lowest national average of quirks occurring in Kazakhstan. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>It’s been the cause of so much horror in the world, a decreased birth rate and increased child mortality. If the Kaiju couldn’t kill us, those that sent them were certainly hoping the Kaiju Blue would do it instead, poisoning us like rats. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>But they never anticipated what else would happen. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>The Final Assault on the Breech had almost ended in disaster. Two Category 4 Kaiju, Raiju and Scunner. The first Category 5 Kaiju, Slattern. All while the Breech was leaking god knows what. Not just blue, but reports of materials that are still not listed on the Periodic Table. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Maybe that’s what kick-started what happened, because by all accounts, everyone should have died down there. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>There’s no footage, but there’s still the first-hand accounts. The doomed battle of Striker Eureka. The damage of Gipsy Danger, still coming back with one leg and one arm torn from her. There was no way they could have pulled off their victory down there, had it not been for the activation of the first quirks. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Superman, the quirk of invulnerability and intensified strength. Sailormoon, the quirk of high-powered discus-shaped beams of light. In any normal battle, there was no way a damaged Jaeger was going to take out three super-powered Kaiju save for a thermonuclear bomb going off. But being able to blast around in the water, impervious to attack, smashing your lone fist with the force of 500 tons of TNT, and sending a ray of pure plasma through the head of what should be the deadliest and most dangerous extant Kaiju? </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Those were the miracle that save lives. Those were the first record of Quirks, of Mako Mori and Raleigh Becket saving not just Striker Eureka and Gipsy Danger, but saving us from the escalating attacks. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>It was three years before the next attack, the longest reprieve the world received since. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>The weirdest part of all… We were ready for them when they came back. The world governments were ready to stop all projects, including the PPRC and the Anti-Kaiju wall constructions. And in the written works, it looked like the PPRC was nearly decommissioned, with the last two Jaegers set to go on tour to the Australian Museum, the Rekihaku, and the Smithsonian in honor of the pilots involved. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>There’s so little I can find about what happened between then and the resurgence of the Jaeger project. Clandestine paperwork that’s all blacked out, rumors on the Deep Web and 3Ch. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>It came back in full force by the end of the first year. Striker Eureka, Gipsy Danger, new designs from China, Russia, Australia, Canada and Tanzania. And the bright new Prospect Scion, originating from Germany with a revolutionary design and it’s lone pilot, Friedrich Gottlieb.</em>
</p><p>***</p><p>He took the long way home. Down through the drainage tunnel, past old signs protesting the newest Anti-Kaiju Walls being erected along the Korean peninsula and the Northern Chinese coast, and down an alley by where some long-gone shops were still located. Musutafu had never been a busy town even in it’s heyday, but with the Kaiju attacks ramping up, shore towns were getting drained out quickly in exchange for the more inland cities and mountain regions or even immigrating to the mainland. </p><p>Like what his parents were still trying to do. You don’t stay on the Atlantic side for five years, deep in the European continent, just because of ‘a major trade deal’. </p><p>Izuku didn’t want to come home and let his mom see him with red eyes. No, he didn’t want to make her feel worse about his training or the weird stalemate they’ve been since he started middle school. Jaeger or Europe, it would come down to those two, and he was the only one who was truly pushing for Jaeger, wasn’t he? And he didn’t want to come home and just start crying again as soon as he entered because it was his own fault for the stalemate, and he wanted to apologize but he also wanted his mother to believe in him, and neither of those things were going to happen-</p><p>Stopping himself, Izuku took a moment to catch his breath. Just… Need to let it go. Plus Ultra, that’s what the UA Ranger Training Academy always said right? Go beyond your limits, and push forward. </p><p>Still, he couldn’t stop the stream of tears running down his face or his shuddering breath. At least, not until he felt the point of a knife against his back of his neck and a slimy arm grab his wrist.</p><p>… Man, he was not going to catch a break today, was he?</p><p>His wrist was pulled back tightly, pinning his arm firmly to his back. The knife held close, at least close enough he could feel the point pressing right at the base, “Now now, kid, stop crying for long enough and we can make this easy!” Izuku tried to wrench out, only to have the knife pressed closer, a sharp pain ringing through his skin, “Look, I ain’t gonna hurt ya’, just need a quick way out of town, runnin’ a lil’ low on cash and it’s real hard to take the bullet train out of town when ya’ got only a couple hundred yen to your name. Just maybe shut up, and hand over ya’ phone and wallet, and we’ll just take it the easy way?” </p><p>“I-I-” Izuku’s voice cracked, “I- have only a thousand yen- And an old phone- Please-” With his free hand, he tried to pull the wallet from his bag, only succeeding in dropping books from the shakes. Come on, snap out of it, you’ve had to deal with Bakugou all day, and now it’s just one man instead. </p><p>One adult man, with a knife right against his neck. And he was pretty sure he was bleeding at this point.</p><p>“Kid, stop shaking so much!” He wrenched Izuku’s arm upwards, only succeeding in making him yelp out in pain, “Goddamnit, not like there’s any places to rob around this neck of the woods… Well, no big loss for there to be one less kid in this place. Better safe than sorry. No witnesses, after all.” The knife moved, going for a slash along the throat. Izuku’s free hand shot up, trying to block the blade before it would make contact. </p><p>But the blade never came. </p><p>With the sound of a squelch, his arm was free. Drenched in purplish-grey slime, but free. Immediately, Izuku turned to see his attacker sprawled out on the ground, still coated with a thin veneer of ooze that leaked all over his exposed skin and staining his clothes. </p><p>What really drew his eye though was not his would-be killer. Instead, he could see a figure he had known for years, seen on video clips and news articles and so many photographs for his entire life. </p><p>Larger than life stood a massive, muscle-bound man with a glistening and heroic smile, and golden hair in a pointed pompadour, the same pointed pompadour that he shared with his Jaeger All Might. There was nothing to fear, because Toshinori Yagi was here. </p>
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